Gunslinger World
by BabyPuffin
Summary: The Padania rebels were just the first of many. Now the movement has spread and has become global with terrorist attacks that ravaged countries around the world, leaving some incapacitated or near death. This has gotten too big for the SWA to handle.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello, this is my very first story here on fanfic. I got the idea after watching seasons 1 and 2 of Gunslinger Girl and reading the manga again and wondering how the nations of Hetalia could fit in with those events. Human names will be used.

**Disclaimer:**I own neither Gunslinger Girl nor Hetalia. They belong to Yu Aida and Himaruya Hidekaz, respectively.

* * *

><p><em>Click.<em>

Switzerland checked his SIG P226 to make sure the magazine was loaded. The faint sound of construction could be heard outside.  
>"Just another day at the job," he muttered under his breath.<p>

He looked to his side where his partner, or _cyborg,_ as they were called, was standing. Her shoulder-length blonde hair matched his and many would mistake her for Vash's little brother if it weren't for the ribbon in her hair. She looked any ordinary child who wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a denim jacket except she had a SIG P228 hidden in her jacket. There was also the fact that she wasn't an ordinary child at all for she was way older than she looked.  
>"Bruder," Liechtenstein said. "Is it time to move?"<p>

"Yeah, move out, Lili. You know the plan. And remember, be careful."  
>With a nod of her head, she moved out from the corner they were hiding behind and began walking towards their target destination down the hallway. Vash followed closely behind, flash bang at the ready. The sound of construction grew louder as they approached the door.<p>

"Who is it?" a voice questioned when she knocked the door.  
>"Just a little girl, sir. I was wondering if you'd like to purchase some girl scout cookies." She motioned to her backpack.<p>

The door opened slightly as a man looked through to observe his visitor. Unfortunately, he couldn't see the Swiss man hiding out of sight just next to the door frame.

"Just what the hell ar-" His voice was cut off as Lili grabbed him by the collar, pulled his head through, and slammed the door on his neck, breaking it. Surprised yells sounded from the inside and the clacking of weapons could be heard. Switzerland tossed his flash bang in through the small opening. As soon as it went off, Lili kicked the door open and took aim, Vash following right behind.

_I count seven targets. We have to make this quick,_ he thought to himself as he quickly scanned the room.

Lili was the first to open fire as she emptied 4 rounds in quick succession. Vash quickly killed the three men on the left side of the room at the same time the four men on the right side dropped dead to the ground. The bedroom door across the room was kicked open as five more men poured into the living room, opening fire on the duo. The element of surprise was lost and Vash opened the nearby fridge door and took cover behind it as Lili dove into cover behind the large sofa.

"Lili, pull out your MP7! I'll cover you!" Vash blind fired around the fridge door and the insurgents quickly hid behind a turned-over table.

Lili dropped her backpack and pulled out her MP7. After Vash stopped firing, she popped out of cover and opened fire. Two men were pockmarked with holes by the deadly 4.6mm rounds and the remaining three retreated back into the bedroom, firing their AKs like no tomorrow.  
>"Ivan, this is Vash. I got three guys holding out in the bedroom of the target area. There is way too much fire and my fratello can't move up. I could use your help right now!" he yelled into his mic.<p>

Grunts of pain were heard, each followed shortly by a nearly inaudible _crack. _Vash and Lili moved in as soon as the enemy stopped firing.  
>"Room cleared. Thanks for the assist, Ivan," Vash said into his mic.<br>"Da, it was no problem. Although you could ask nicely every now and then, hmm?" Ivan replied.

* * *

><p>On a nearby rooftop overlooking the apartment, Ivan radioed back to HQ.<br>"Mission accomplished, Alfred. Send in the cleanup crew and you can tell our _construction workers_ they can have the day off."  
>"Roger. Roddy and Liza are already on the way up. The Nordics will accompany them later,"<p>

Ivan ended the transmission and said to his cyborg, "Good work with the shooting, Natalia. But next time, make sure to be quicker or else." Then he turned around and left.

"Yes, big brother," the Belarusian replied. She picked up her SVD and placed it back in her case before hurrying after the large Russian man.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own neither Hetalia nor Gunslinger Girl. I also do not own Boondocks Saints, which will be referred to in this chapter.

* * *

><p>"Roger. Roddy and Liza are already on the way up. The Nordics will accompany them later," Alfred replied.<p>

The American let out a sigh of relief after Ivan ended the transmission. "You hear that Mattie? Mission success, bro," he said cheerfully to his twin brother, grateful that there were no casualties.

"Yeah, that's good. There was no collateral damage as well," the Canadian said.

The both of them were sitting in a van that acted as a mobile HQ for their anti-terrorist missions. The van was loaded with computers and other hi-tech equipment in the back where they operated. They were parked across the street from the hotel where their most recent operation just took place.

"Al, here they come. They're exiting the hotel and it looks like nobody followed them."

They watched as a couple exited the building. The couple were Roderich and Elizaveta, who represented Austria and Hungary respectively. Behind them, Vash and Lili followed. The four of them entered Elizaveta's car and they drove off.

"No sign of any cars following them too," Alfred said.

"What about Ivan and his sister?"

"Nah, nobody's following them either."

On a street perpendicular to them, Ivan and Natalia got into a car and drove off. Matthew started the van up and followed after them from a distance to make sure noone else, especially terrorists, is tailing them. On the drive back to base, Alfred began to reminisce about how this all started.

* * *

><p><span>10 months ago<span>

All the nations were gathered in Rome for a world meeting. The host was Romano, who represented the southern part of Italy, and he was as foul-mouthed as always.

"All right you bastards, shut up so we can start this damn thing!" Romano yelled. "We are gathered here today to discuss this major problem that's been plaguing both me and my fratello's lands."

"Ve, those Padania guys are really messing things up for our people," Italy said.

"And our Social Welfare Agency is just not enough to deal with the growing number of damn terrorists," Romano added in. "It seems that this problem is going global pretty damn soon, too."

"Wait a minute. Did you just say global? This is bad," Austria responded.

"Great, just what I needed, terrorist scum that could possibly threaten my borders," the ever-neutral Switzerland commented.

"The Social Welfare Agency….that's your secret anti-terrorist group who utilize young cyborg assassins, no?"

"Si, Russia,"

"And these terrorists, those are the guys who, like, want to totally split up your nation, right? That's so uncool, especially if more of them sprout up attacking around the entire freakin world," said Poland.

"Yes, and we need a solution. Fast," said Italy.

The nations all sat quietly as they pondered what to do.

"Wait," said a voice. "I have an idea. But I don't think you would approve of it since some of you find it…unethical."

Everyone turned to look at who the voice belonged to. It was the usually quiet Iceland, Norway's younger brother.

"Well, what is it, dude?" America asked.

"Umm…I was thinking that maybe…we could get more of those cyborg assassins to help us. I heard they worked out pretty well in dealing with insurgents within Italy. After all, you did say this Padania movement was going to spread globally. Why not counter more terrorists with more assassins? That could help…probably."

"Da, I agree with our little friend," Russia replied, his aura seemingly growing.

"If big brother says so, then I agree too," Belarus added, her aura also adding to Russia's.

"What do you guys think?" Russia asked the now trembling Baltic Trio.

"Y-yes, o-of course, sir," Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia replied at the same time.

"Dude, I don't know," America said.

"We'd be altering the lives of innocent children. Shortening their lifespan and messing with their memories," England added.

"True, but think about all the lives that could be saved," Norway responded. "Not to mention the kids that the Agency use as cyborgs are victims of all sorts. They'd be better off leading a new life with a new body instead of being left for dead all beaten up and maimed. Besides, we don't even need that many cyborgs. If I recall correctly, one cyborg can take on a group of enemies."

"For once, I agree with Angleterre. I do not like the idea of turning such young innocent children into killing machines," France said.

Soon, a whole lot of the nations began arguing with each other about what to do with the oncoming threat. One side was for the idea of using cyborg assassins, the other was against.

_Mein Gott, I knew this would happen again_, Germany thought as he rubbed his head in irritation.

"Okay, everyone shut up now!" he yelled. Still arguing.

"I said shut up!" he yelled even louder. Still more arguing.

"SHUT UP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Everyone paused and looked at the angry German.

"You have something to say, Doitsu-san?" Japan asked.

"You guys are arguing again. There's no time for that, especially considering the problem at hand. I do not like having to use younger people as killers, but I do agree with Iceland. We need a bit more cyborgs. The military is out of the question because reports have come in saying that some of the terrorists in Italy were part of the armed forces."

"West is right," Prussia said. "It's not awesome having to turn kids into killers, but hell, we gotta do something."

"Okay, all those in favor for cyborgs, raise your hands," Japan said.

Both Italy and Romano were the first, and more were coming up when all of sudden there was a loud explosion that rocked the room and knocked several nations off their seats.

"Cazzo!" Romano swore. "What the fuck was that?"

Denmark ran to the window to see what happened.

"Holy shit, a bomb just blew up part of a building across us!"

Another explosion followed, this time it sounded closer.

"You think the terrorists know we're here?" Canada asked.

"Nein, it would be highly unlikely. No human knows we even exist except for our countries' bosses," Germany answered.

"Well, we totally gotta get the hell outta here. Like, right now!" Poland yelled.

"Everyone, go! Evacuate the building now!" America ordered.

Every nation began to head for the exit. Except for the Italies.

"Augh! Fuck that stings!" he yelled as he staggered a bit. "Pezzo di merda, those terrorists think they're real smart, attacking Roma."

He and his twin were both obviously in pain, clutching their chests as they tried to run towards the exit.

"Dammit, hold on we're coming to help you. Germany, you grab Italy and I'll get Romano!" America cried out.

Both carried their fellow nations towards the door.

"Spain, here, take Romano," America said.

"Si, I'll take it from here. But what are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna take a look at our bombers. Let the rest of the nations know that we have use our human aliases from now on. They can make it up if they want. We've got to protect our identities. Got it, Antonio?"

Spain nodded and replied, "Sure thing, Alfred." He turned to Germany and said, "Let's get Feliciano and Lovino out of here, Ludwig."

"Ja, I'll be right behind you. Oh, and Alfred," he turned to America. "Be careful."

With that said, they left for the exit, leaving Alfred behind.

"All right, time for the hero to do this," he said, pumping his fist in a heroic pose.

* * *

><p><em>6 hours later…<em>

Alfred was able gather intelligence about the attack along with help from his twin brother, Matthew/Canada. The bombing had killed 7 civilians and hotel employees and wounded 5 more. Normally, the local forces or the Social Welfare Agency would investigate this bombing since the attack occurred in Italy. However, Alfred didn't want to bother Feli and Lovi about it and decided to take matters into his own hands. That is until he needed help and called Matthew. Now, they were both geared up and crawling in an air vent towards the room where the terrorists were staying.

"You know, Al, I didn't mind sneaking into a hotel to kill some bad guys, but why do we need the rope?" Matthew asked as he struggled with a long piece of rope tied across his torso for who-knows-what. "It's pretty freakin heavy."

"I already told you, you never know when we might need a rope. It's in all the movies, Matt. Like James Bond or Mission Impossible. All that secret agent stuff."

The Canadian just stared at him. _Bitch, really? You made me bring the rope just because of your American movies. I'll fucking strangle you with this rope._

"Oh, right. We're gonna go all Tom Cruise on these guys who are most likely armed and dangerous," Matthew said to the American.

"Yup, that's pretty much it," Alfred replied. "If you're really complaining about that rope, just give it to me."

_Yeah, you better take it. _"Thanks, Al. Here you go," Matthew said as he tried to hand over the rope. Unfortunately, both twins had trouble untying the rope.

"No Mattie, untie it the other way."

"I'm trying. I think I'm stuck."

"Hold on, let me do it."

"Al, wait, you're gonna make it worse."

"No, I'm not. The hero always knows how to make things right."

Within seconds, both had the rope all tangled up around their bodies.

"Told you so."

"Oops. Sorry, heheheh."

"Well, it can't be helped. We gotta keep moving. They can't be too far. Check the map."

"Got it. Hold…" Alfred struggled to get the map out of his pocket, "…on." More fumbling. "There we go. Hmm. I think we're already right above the room."

_Creak._

"Oh, okay. We should get ready."

_Creak._

Alfred pulled out both of his M1911s, fitted with suppressors. Matthew kept his holstered as he tried to find the right tool to break in through the ceiling.

_Creak._

"What is that creaking sound?"

"I don't know, but who cares. I'm ready to rock," Alfred said as he spun one of his pistols. Time seemed to slow down as Matthew watched the pistol slip out of Alfred's hand.

"Oh shi-"

Matthew was cut off as Alfred reached out and caught it. However, he wasn't cut off because the feat was amazing. There wasn't that much space so the act of Alfred jerking his hand forward and catching his pistol caused him to slam his fist right into the bottom surface of the vent. His superhuman strength combined with the strain on the vent from all the erratic movement of the twins caused the vent and ceiling below to give way and collapse. Both went spiraling down but fortunately for them, the rope got caught on a jagged piece of the ceiling. Unfortunately for them, they were now hanging upside down from a rope in the middle of a room filled with 10 terrorists, 7 of them seated on couches and 3 standing around. All of them were staring, surprised at the blonde twins.

"Uhhm,"

"Al, open fire, you idiot!" Matthew drew both his suppressed M1911s and started firing.

"Oh, right," said Alfred as he did the same.

"Oh, merd-" a terrorist was cut off as he and his colleagues were riddled with holes by the .45 ACP rounds.

The whole firefight lasted 7 seconds.

"Damn," Alfred muttered.

"I know…"

"Hold on, I'll get us down," Alfred said as he took hold of the rope at their feet.

"No, Al, wai-"

Alfred yanked hard on the rope, taking a part of the ceiling, causing them to land all covered in debris_._

"Oww," Alfred rubbed his head.

"I told you to wait," Matthew groaned.

"Yeah, yeah. I still can't believe that just fucking happened! That was so cool! We were like upside down and shooting them!"

"I guess that was pretty cool, bro," Matthew admitted. "Kind of reminded of one of your movies, eh."

"Yeah. The one with the Scottish twins, right? I think it was called Boonie Priests or something like that."

"I think it's actually Boondock Saints, Al. And they were Irish, not Scottish."

"Pfft, whatever."

"Let's just get out of here before the cops get here. I hope the Italy twins don't get pissed at us."

"Don't worry, they'll be thanking us. We just took out some of their terrorists, bro."

* * *

><p><em>Next Day…<em>

"You fucking what? Are you Americans always this crazy?" Lovino/Romano cursed.

"Fratello, calm down, they only meant to help us," whimpered Feliciano/Italy, trying to reason with his twin.

"I'm not actually American. Well at least not Alfred's kind of Ame-"

"Calm down? This idiotta damaged my property!" Lovino yelled, pointing at Alfred.

The four were inside one of Lovi's private homes somewhere in the countryside near Rome along with Ludwig and Antonio.

"For once, I actually agree with Lovino. You could have caused an international affair," Ludwig said.

"Geez, what's with everyone today? You're all tense about something."

"Actually, Alfred," Antonio started, "we are tense about something. Something bad."

"Wait, what happened?" Matthew asked the Spaniard.

"Well, after you left, more nations started feeling pain."

"The same way Feli and Lovi were after the bombing," Ludwig continued. "But it was mostly the smaller nations and it was much worse."

"How bad?"

"They were collapsing and passing out. They started _bleeding _from cuts that came out of nowhere. The only explanation is that each one of their capitals were attacked viciously. Not just the capitals, too, but possibly other areas of their country. Right now, they're in one of our emergency hospitals specially made to treat people like us. All of them are dying, Al. Some are in a coma."

"Who were they?"

"I don't recall the list but I know for sure that Lili, Natalia, and Chelles are in that list. I think Hong is also in a coma. Bastards didn't even show mercy to Peter's land…" Antonio said solemnly.

"Peter? Arthur's little bro? The kid's not even a full-fledged nation, isn't he? He's just…a micro nation. He doesn't even own actual land. It's just a fort," Alfred said.

"Ja, but he is still technically of our kind. The terrorists nearly destroyed Sealand, leaving Peter incapacitated along with the others."

"But us country-spirit things can't die, can we?" Matthew asked.

"No, it's possible. Grandpa Roma died when his empire fell," Feliciano said. "He was weakened and Germania was able to land the killing blow. Then he passed on and his land went to Ludwig and his siblings."

"Yeah, we can die if the country we represent no longer exists," Alfred muttered.

"Mein bruder Gilbert lost Prussia a long time ago," Ludwig said, "yet he still lives on because his land became part of mines before he could die. We both represent Germany ever since."

"These terrorists don't seem to have any knowledge of our existence as nations, but they were still able to coordinate a global-scale attack on almost every small countries' capital. Us larger countries must have been deemed to powerful and able to mount a counter-attack," Antonio continued.

"Damn, it's just as I predicted," Lovino said. "The bastards are recruiting even more bastards to their cause. Not just in Italy, but around the world."

"I still remember what Emil said at the meeting," Feliciano spoke out. "Lovino and I think we should do what he suggested. Except not with children."

"Then with who?" Matthew asked, even though he already had an idea of what the answer was.

"It's best to do it at another world meeting. I've already scheduled one for tomorrow in Venezia," Feliciano replied.

"Okay. Then let's rest up. I hope you know what you're doing," America said as he headed off to the guest rooms.

"Trust us," Lovino answered.

* * *

><p><em>Next day, in Venice…<em>

The world meeting was less lively, which was to be expected. After all, the nations did lose some of their fellow comrades. The Asians were looking pretty down and Heracles was actually awake this time. Even the gun-toting Vash and the perverted Francis were quiet. Arthur also didn't seem to want to start a useless argument with Francis as usual with other meetings. Ivan seemed to look the same, but it was obvious that he was pissed at what happened to one of his sisters. Ludwig didn't even have to yell to get things under control.

"All right everybody, listen up," Lovino said in an actual sympathetic tone. "Now I know that the last meeting didn't go exactly as planned. But now we're going to finish what we started."

"My fratello and I have already decided at the last meeting to go with Emil's idea for using cyborgs," Feliciano nodded towards the young, silver-haired Nordic. "But with a slight change."

"What kind of change?" the monotone Lukas asked. The Nordic Cross barrette that usually kept the left side of the Norwegian's hair pinned was in his hands as he fidgeted with it out of either boredom or worry.

"Well, we originally planned to give permission for more organizations like the Social Welfare Agency to be created around the world and to use children or teens who are near death and turn them into cyborgs. In fact, we are still considering that, but we have decided to use others primarily as cyborgs."

"Others? What do you mean by others?" Gilbert questioned.

"We're going to turn our wounded into killers," Lovino answered.

"The handlers for each cyborg should be easy enough to choose," Feliciano continued. "After all, most of them are your younger siblings or your former colonies."

The room was soon filled with the sound of murmuring and whispers and the nations discussed this matter.

"Okay, so who's in favor of nation-cyborgs?" Ludwig asked as he raised his hand. The Italy twins, the North American Twins, Antonio, and Gilbert also raised their hands, followed by the Nordics. Several others followed after, but not without a bit of hesitation. Arthur was in conflict with himself, deciding whether or not he can bear to see Peter become a cold-blooded killer. He also raised his hand, wanting the boy to live instead of suffer to death. A majority of the room had already raised their hands.

"What will happen to them if they were to undergo this…conditioning?" Vash asked. His hands were still down. "Will they have a limited lifespan or what?"

"We do not know, but we are stronger and more resilient than normal humans."

"That doesn't answer the question, Feli," Francis snapped.

"…"

"Well?"

"I have reason to believe that their lifespan will not shorten due to our immortality. But if it does, it will be considerably longer than one of my own people's cyborgs," Feliciano replied.

"You want Hong to turn into one of those….things?" Yao cried out.

"You better watch your mouth, Yao. Those _things_ are still my people. Dammit, they are more of my people than those terrorists are. I can feel it. And not just me, but my brother Feli, too. Those are our people who have suffered and are just as human as everyone else, mechanical body or not."

"Those people sure did a good job at containing this problem, huh?" Yao replied.

"Yao-san, I am sorry but I agree with them. If we want to have any chance of stopping these attacks, we need more assassins. Not to mention we can save Hong from the state he's in now," Kiku said.

"It's up to you whether or not you want a cyborg or not. We can just have someone else become his handler," Lovino said coolly.

Yao gritted his teeth. "No, he was part of my land so he's my responsibility. I'll do it, but I'm still against this idea."

"Fine, me too," Vash said. "I'll watch out for Lili."

Francis nodded and said, "If anyone is going to handle Chelles, I will do it. I raised her once, after all."

"Good, we will have some you help with the operation procedures on them ASAP," Ludwig said. "You are all dismissed to your rooms. Sleep well."

With that meeting, the injured nations were fated to become cyborg-assassins.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own neither Hetalia nor Gunslinger Girl.

* * *

><p>"Al, wake up."<p>

"Huh, what?"

Rubbing his eyes, Alfred stretched in his seat and looked around.

"Where are we?" he asked Matthew.

"Back at base, duh."

"The others are back too?"

"Yeah, except the Nordics but they should be arriving soon."

The twins got out of the van and examined the facility in front of them. The building was similar in structure to the Social Welfare Agency's base and even had dormitories for the nations to temporarily stay in. There was a medical wing, a training course, a mess hall, and several firing ranges. The secret organization was similarly named the Global Welfare Agency. The only major difference was that the SWA base is in Italy and the GWA base is in Germany. Along with the nations, there are also a few hundred humans who are part of the staff. Those who aided the nations in counter-terrorist operations are highly trained soldiers from around the world. Some of these men used to be part of covert special forces and were efficient killers. Of course, they weren't always sent out into the field to help the nations. The nations are more than capable of handling themselves, due to them having lived centuries and gaining more experience in combat situations. While they weren't out in the field, they would be training with the cyborgs and the other nations.

"Well, let's go see that new shipment you ordered," Matthew said.

"Oh, that's right. Let's go!" Alfred replied excitedly.

* * *

><p>Vash walked Lili down the hallway towards her dorm room. The mission that they had just accomplished was fairly tiring and Vash wanted to make sure Lili could get some well-earned sleep.<p>

"You did a good job today, you know that," he said. "You should get some rest. We can go to the firing range later to practice, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing Vash," Lili responded cheerfully.

"Well, here's your room. I'll see you later then," Vash said as he walked off.

"All right, bye."

Lili closed the door and plopped on her bed.

"So, how did it go?" Chelles asked from the top bunk.

"It was okay. Vash and I took out seven bad guys today."

"Seven? That's a lucky number you know," Chelles replied, looking up from the book she was reading.

"There were actually five more guys hiding in the bedroom but I took out two of them pretty easily. Natalia got the rest with her SVD."

"Twelve, huh. You were one away from an unlucky number," chuckled Chelles.

"Guess I got lucky," Lili giggled back in reply.

"By the way, did you hear? Apparently, we got a new shipment with some brand-new rifles. Francis told me that it came from America."

"Mr. Jones gave it to us?"

"Yeah, he ordered it to be sent here. Wanted us to try them out and field-test them. I heard that these weapons pack a real punch."

"Maybe that's why Vash wanted me to go to the range later on," Lili wondered.

"Mm. Anyway, we should get some sleep. Especially you," Chelles yawned.

"Okay, sweet dreams," Lili said as she drifted off to sleep.

"We're waking up in five hours," Chelles said, also beginning to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>"Oh, hey. You're back," Hong said as he heard the door open and close. He was laying on his bed with his arms behind his head and looking up at the bottom of the top bunk with a blank stare.<p>

"Yeah, yeah," Natalia answered as she climbed up to her bed.

"So.." began Hong

"So what?" questioned Natalia.

"How was your first kill in two weeks? Did you miss? Or was it a headshot?"

Natalia scowled. _Lousy brat,_ she thought, _I was only out of commission for those damned repairs brother wanted me to get._

"No, I did not miss," she replied. "In fact, I got three kills in quick succession, which I say isn't bad for being a little rusty at sniping. I got two headshots, just for your information."

"Hmm. What did Ivan say?"

"He just said good work and to be a bit more quicker next time."

"Oh. So are you gonna consider switching out that old thing," Hong motioned towards Natalia's case which contained her SVD, "for something a little more up to date?"

"Tch, I don't really care. As long as bullets fly out the barrel and hits the target, it's still useful. I'm probably a better shooter than you are with your QBU-88."

"Pfft, whatever. Like you said, as long as it works," Hong replied.

"Hey, you know anything about those new weapons we're supposed to get?"

"Nothing much. I didn't even get a name or designation. Yao just told me they're in the bullpup configuration and that they have a hell of a recoil. Of course, recoil shouldn't really be a problem for us."

"If they're bullpup rifles, that means they would be shorter and compact. I wonder what they are."

"We'll find out later, maybe in five hours. Even then, we're just going to test-fire them. They won't be issued out to us yet. In the meantime, get some rest."

Natalia simply grumbled in reply as she closed her eyes.

"Good night to you too," Hong answered back.

* * *

><p>"Aiyaa," Yao yawned.<p>

"You should get some sleep, y'know," said Markus. "You look tired as hell."

"That's because all of us were out in CQB training, aru," Yao replied to the tall Danish man.

"You're tired from that little exercise? I thought you were all about kung-fu and stuff."

"I must be getting old, aru. 4,000 years does no justice to this old man's body."

Markus simply chuckled and said, "In everyone's opinion here, you look like you're still in your 20s or something."

The two of them were walking down the hall from the training they had just endured several minutes ago. The majority of the nations involved in the GWA took part in that exercise as well. Tino and Markus of the Nordic group also participated despite having just returned from their recent operation. Berwald, Lukas, and Emil simply shrugged and said something along the lines of being bored or hungry.

"Well, I'll catch ya later. I've been out in Munich all day and I'm exhausted too," Markus said as he headed off in a different direction towards his room. Yao simply waved him off, muttering about kids these days.

_Guess I'll head off to bed too, _Yao thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own neither Hetalia nor Gunslinger Girl.

* * *

><p><em>BANG! BANG! BANG!<em>

Loud gunshots resonated throughout the firing range as the nation cyborgs emptied their magazines simultaneously into the targets. Each of their handlers was there along with Gilbert to supervise the exercise. When the 20th round left each of their new rifle's chambers, Gilbert blew the whistle.

"All right, check your weapons and make sure its clear. That'll be all for today."

"Weapon cleared, sir," they replied.

"Then you may report back with your handlers."

"Aren't you going to tell us what these weapons are called first?" Chelles asked.

"Oui, I am not quite familiar with these," added in Francis. Some of the other handlers nodded in agreement.

"Let's see….no. Alfred told me to keep it a secret until we actually have to use them out in the field, hehehe," Gilbert teased.

"You and that bloody idiot sided with each other again. Great. I wonder if he's fed you some of his hamburgers to keep you quiet," Arthur commented.

"These rifles remind me a bit of the FN F2000 from Alice's country. They're both bullpup and ambidextrous, but I still don't know what it is. Aren't you going to tell us?" Vash said.

"Nu-uh. It's a secret for now. Now get outta here. I thought I dismissed you guys or something," Gilbert said, scratching his head.

"Tch, asshole," Natalia muttered as she departed with the others.

"Except you, Yao and Hong." Gilbert held his hand out to stop the Asian pair from exiting.

"What do you want now?" asked Yao.

"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to borrow your partner for a while. Ludwig and I have a special assignment just for him."

Hong looked over to Yao with a questioning look. Yao just sighed and said, "Fine, go ahead."

Gilbert nodded, " You can come along too if you want to watch."

* * *

><p>Five men darted from building to building, each armed with Beretta ARX-160 assault rifles. They moved quietly, shuffling along a wall and staying in the shadow to keep out of sight.<p>

"Hold up," the lead man, Hernandez, said, holding his fist up to signal to his team. He peeked around the corner before giving the move out signal.

"All clear, let's move. I'll take point. Richards, cover us. "

One by one, they moved into the narrow alleyway.

* * *

><p>Above, Hong was keeping careful watch on the men. They had no idea that he was on the roof of the building that they were just entering. He noticed the last man held position, probably covering his team as they moved.<p>

_Too easy,_ he thought as he pulled out his knife and leapt down.

Richards looked up in time to see the Chinese man descend upon him…

* * *

><p>The men moved into position outside a room. Hernandez motioned towards another member of his team.<p>

"Do it," he ordered.

With a nod of acknowledgement, he kicked the door in and his teammates moved in before he followed in himself. They swept the area, covering the entire room with their weapons at the ready.

"Room's empty, sir."

"Dammit, I could've sworn I saw him enter here. Hey, where the hell did Richards go?"

At that moment, Hong, who was hiding up in the rafters, let himself drop down silently.

"Oh, he's down, sergeant," he replied coolly before opening fire with his captured ARX-160. All targets were hit.

"Targets eliminated, Yao. Can you ask Mr. Ludwig if I may go now?" he asked through his mic.

"Roger. Hernandez, your entire squad was just eliminated by one man who started out with just a knife. Get up and give me 20 laps around the facility!" Ludwig ordered over the loudspeakers. He, Gilbert, Yao, and Kiku were sitting in the observatory overlooking the indoor CQB course.

"Sir, yes sir!" the sergeant replied. He and his team were covered in red from all the paintball shots, except Richards who had to feign death by knifing. He had just rejoined his team in the room before they all headed out to run their laps.

"Hong, you may return to your dormitory now. That was some good work out there."

"Thank you, sir," Hong bowed before heading out.

Turning towards Yao, Kiku said, "Well, he seems to be doing well. I apologize for any inconvenience, Yao-san, but we have to make sure he does not get too soft. The same goes for all the other cyborgs as well. Besides, this is good for the human soldiers because it teaches them to expect the unexpected."

Yao bowed and replied, "It was no problem. At least now we know that he can handle himself if he's ever alone on a mission. My only regret is that I didn't get to participate in this exercise. I was the one who taught him, after all."

"Which is why we called you out here in the first place," Ludwig added. "We have a mission for you and Hong. It will be just the two of you in this operation. I'm pretty sure that out there, you will have a chance to demonstrate your skills."

"A mission, huh. Where exactly?"

"In Kowloon City. We have reports of terrorists setting up black market deals and smuggling weapons there."

"Ah, yes. I have heard of the rumors in my country," Yao said. "I was wondering when I would get the green light to take them down."

"The thing is, the weapons smuggling is not our concern," Kiku said. "Our primary target is this man."

Kiku handed Yao a profile. Inside it was a photograph of a Chinese man with his hair slicked back and a scar across his cheek.

"Wait a minute, this man-" Yao started.

"Yes. This is Xiang. You know him better as the man who bombed Hong Kong," Ludwig said.

"I thought we killed him earlier," Yao said angrily.

"We thought so too, but these pictures say otherwise. Now, Yao, I need you tell me if Xiang really did die."

"I already told you many times before, Ludwig. I shot him and he got caught in the explosion. The very same explosion that he set off trying to blow us up back in Shanghai. There was no way he could have survived. Even if the bullet didn't kill him, he should have been incinerated," Yao answered.

"Very well. If this is indeed that same man, this is your second chance to get back at him. You'll find all the information you need for this mission in that folder your holding."

"One question. Why didn't you have Hong come up here as well to hear about this?"

"It is better if you tell him about the target but not about what happened with Hong Kong. That way, he won't have to ask questions about how his land was almost destroyed ten months ago. That's how it is with all of them. They have trouble remembering everything before and on that day. We can't afford to have him lose focus on a mission. You won't lose focus as well, right?" Kiku asked.

"No. Quite the opposite. I will make sure we kill this man," Yao said, determined.

"Good. You are dismissed," Ludwig said.

* * *

><p>"Oh, hello. Are you guys here for room?" the lady at the counter asked the two men in Chinese.<p>

"Yes, ma'am. Ling Mei. Room for two," the man answered back in Chinese.

"Ah, I see. Okay here's your keys. I hope you and your little brother enjoy your stay in Kowloon City."

"Thank you, we will. Let's go, Jiang."

Jiang nodded and followed after Ling.

_That Jiang boy is kind of cute, _the lady thought. _He must be pretty strong to carry that luggage with no problem._

When they were in the elevator, Hong said, "Ling Mei? Really? You could come up with a better name than that, y'know."

"Mind your manners. I thought Arthur would have taught you that by now," Yao replied. "Besides, it's just an alias. As if yours is any better, Jiang. We'll be using these names from now on until we are finished here, understand?"

"Whatever."

The two of them reached the door to their room. Taking position outside the room, they both drew their QSZ-92 pistols and quickly opened door. Keeping their pistols ready, Hong moved in to check the bathroom while Yao checked the bedroom.

"All clear here," Hong reported.

"Good," Yao sighed. If any civilian saw what they were doing, it would cause a commotion. Then again, there was no such thing as being too careful, even if it was your room.

"Hey, where's the advil?"

"Kiku said try checking the sink drawer."

Hong pulled open the drawer and found that it was empty. He expected this of course so he completely pulled the drawer out and flipped it around. Taped to the bottom was a piece of a weapon. Searching around the bathroom, he found all the other parts that were hidden and quickly assembled them together.

"Phew, I'm finally done," Hong said.

"What took you so long? I finished putting mines together before you," Yao smirked from the doorway, holding his LWRC PSD triumphantly.

"You cheated. Kiku probably had it hidden under the bed already," Hong scowled.

"Nope, the parts were spread out in different boxes in the fridge."

"Hot pockets?"

"Yep. And several other frozen food boxes."

"Damn. I thought we had some real hot pockets this time."

"We can ask Alfred for some after this op. For now, let's hide these under the bed or something and unpack our clothes."

Their "clothes" were actually holsters and Kevlar vests and other similar equipment that soldiers wore in covert operations. They only had a few civilian clothes along with their gear. Of course, most of those clothes was to be worn over their vests and hidden weapons.

"Okay, we should be able to have a vantage point from this window here," Yao said. "The person who may lead us to our target is staying in a room across our apartment. I'll set up the hidden camera and the laptop here."

Hong sorted through their gear and re-arranged them. Then he placed their civilian clothes in the closet.

"There, this will make it easier for us to grab them and go."

"Hey, you should go rest. We'll need it for the mission."

"I'm already ahead of you," Hong replied as he headed off to his bed. "Night."

"Yeah, yeah," Yao said in return.

Several minutes later, he headed off to his own bed as well. In the bed next to him lay Hong.

_Hmm, he's already asleep, _Yao thought. _Cybernetic body or not, they still need to sleep._

While sleeping, Yao dreamt of the day he went to kill Xiang.

* * *

><p><span>10 months ago<span>

It was two days after the global terrorist attack. The nations just got a lead on a culprit who was responsible for the destruction in Hong Kong. The man was Xiang and it was possible that he was one of the leaders in the terrorist movement, similar to Christiano or Giacomo in Italy.

"Two minutes!" Alfred called from the pilot's seat.

Yao was in a Black Hawk helicopter heading for a hotel in Shanghai. The top floor was being held by the terrorists and there was also a possible bomb threat. With him were fellow nations Vash, Ivan, Matthew, Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Francis, and Arthur. Each of them were dressed and armed in their country's own standard military uniform and weapons.

"All right, the attacking team is going to rope in while the Vargas twins and Matthew provide covering fire," Ludwig ordered from the co-pilot's seat. Both Feli and Lovi manned the miniguns on both sides of the chopper while Matt readied his Mk. 14 EBR. Everyone else double checked their weapons and prepared to fast rope onto the roof of the target building.

"Incoming tango, 9:00!" Alfred cried out.

"I got them," Feliciano said as he turned his gun towards the direction. Sure enough, about ten men came from one of the roof access doors. The majority of them were mowed down by the minigun fire.

"Go,go!" Matthew yelled.

Vash, Ivan, Francis, Arthur, and Yao quickly roped down onto the roof.

"3:00! Watch out!"

Lovino took out five of the seven targets who came out of the other roof access door.

"We still got seven tangos on the roof. Five at 3 and two at 9. Shit, RPG!" Alfred yelled as he maneuvered the chopper out of the way.

On the roof, the attack team moved to cover and began to return fire.

"I don't have a clear shot!" Arthur said, firing his L85A2 on an enemy hiding behind cover.

"I got em," Vash replied as he fired his SG 552 Commando from the side. "Tango is down. Move up."

"Mon Dieu, I haven't been this excited in a while," Francis laughed, taking targets down with ease using his FAMAS G2.

"Don't get too bloody overconfident, frog. That could be you dead on the roof next time," Arthur said sarcastically. By the time the roof skirmish was over in 3 minutes, they began bickering about who got the most kills.

"Cut the chatter, you two. Both of you stay here and cover the roof while the rest of us go in," Vash ordered.

"Aye aye," Arthur replied with a mock salute.

Yao rolled his eyes. _Crazy Westerners, _he thought. He checked the magazine in his QBZ-95. _I still have 19 rounds. That's good enough._

Vash, Yao, and Ivan moved stealthily towards the top floor.

"The target is in this room over here," Ivan said, pointing to a location on the map he carried. "Depending on the opposition, we should be able to make it there in less than 7 minutes."

"All right, let's pick up the pace," Vash said.

The trio quickly made their way through the top floor, encountering several enemies along the way. It was a mundane process for Yao. Run, stop, shoot, and reload when necessary, then repeat. In less than 2 minutes, they were positioned outside the target door.

"Okay, Xiang should be holed up in this room. Remember, we want to try and take him alive. If not, then just kill the bastard," Vash said.

Yao set a breaching charge on the door and took position on the side opposite of Ivan and Vash. Nodding his head, he detonated the explosive and the trio moved in, weapons clearing the room of four hostiles. However, Yao didn't notice the man coming up from his blindside with a knife.

"Yao, get down!" Ivan yelled as he took aim with his AK-105.

As soon as Yao ducked, a single shot was heard followed by a splat as Ivan blew the enemy's brain out.

"It's all clear here, but none of these guys are Xiang," Vash noted, checking the bodies.

"Chyort! Then where the hell is this svolok?" asked Ivan.

At that moment, one of the bodies started ringing. Ivan checked the body and pulled out a cell phone.

"Yao, catch. It's probably in Chinese," Ivan said, tossing it to Yao.

He caught the phone and answered it in Chinese, "Hello?"

There was no answer. All of a sudden, he heard a beeping sound from within the room.

"Scheisse! This room is wired to blow! Get out!"

The trio ran out the door as soon as the room exploded into flames.

"Damn," muttered Yao as he struggled to get up. The other two seemed to have been incapacitated as well. He looked around and realized that their weapons were busted from the explosion.

"Bravo, looks like you guys made it this far. I was beginning to wonder where you were," a voice said.

Yao turned to face the source of the voice and found an MP5K aimed right at his forehead.

"Don't do anything funny or your brains go splat. Looks like your friends won't be getting up for a while," Xiang spoke in fluent English.

"Xiang…" hissed Yao.

"Why the hostility? Let me guess, you lost someone special in that Hong Kong bombing, correct?" taunted Xiang.

"You'll pay for what you've done, asshole."

"Such language. Anyways, what do you think of my handicraft? Nice explosion, if you ask me. But it could be bigger. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I think- Arrghh!"

Apparently, Ivan had regained consciousness and was able to shoot Xiang in the shoulder.

"Dammit, I missed," Ivan groaned.

Xiang stumbled back in pain just as Yao rushed forward and disarmed him. Then he kneed him in the stomach and elbowed his face.

"Ow, why you-"

Yao delivered a Spartan kick that sent Xiang flying several feet down the hallway. He was about to deliver the finishing kick when Xiang suddenly caught his foot and knocked him over. Xiang then pulled Yao up and pointed a pistol at his head, using him as a meat shield.

"No one move, or else I kill your friend here," he panicked.

Ivan kept his Mp-443 Grach pistol trained on Xiang. He showed no emotion and neither did Yao.

"Drop your weapon, now!"

Ivan did not waver. By this time, Vash had woken up and upon realizing the situation, drew his SIG P226.

"Go ahead, shoot him," Yao said.

"Shut up! Don't die on me yet, you're what's keeping them away," Xiang said.

"You're making a big mistake, Xiang," Vash said. "Drop the gun and we'll take you in alive.

"Or we can kill you now," Ivan added in.

"Haha, you don't even have a clear shot. Besides, don't you care about your friend here?"

"They're not going to let me become a liability, fool. If you kill me, you're dead. Let me go, and maybe we'll spare your life. Your choice," Yao said.

"Fine, let's test your theory then!" Xiang said as he pulled the trigger.

At the same time he pulled the trigger, Yao was able to redirect his aim so that bullet went through his shoulder instead of his head. Turning around, he kicked Xiang away.

"Wait. How did you do that?" Xiang asked.

"Your too slow, asshole. Now surrender," Yao said, aiming his own pistol at Xiang.

At the mercy of three gunmen, Xiang decided to do something desperate.

"Hehe, hell no. I'll take all of you to hell with me!" he laughed maniacally, pulling out a detonator and hitting the button. Explosions resonated throughout the top floor, starting from the rooms at the ends of the hallway. This set off a chain reaction of explosions that began to approach the trio from both ways.

"Dammit! We've got to go now!" Vash said, heading into the room on his left. He shot the window before kicking it, shattering all the glass. "We jump from here, hurry!"

"What about Xiang?" Yao asked, still aiming his gun at him.

"Fuck him, there's no time," Vash said as he jumped out, deploying his parachute.

Yao hesitated. Vash was right, but this Xiang guy was responsible for the bombings in Hong Kong. He had to die. Deciding to leave Xiang to die in his own flames, he made his way towards the window.

"Let's go, Ivan," he said.

Just as they were about to jump out, Xiang grabbed on to Yao, preventing him from jumping.

"Just where do you think you're going, hmm? I said you're coming to hell with me, even if it's just one of you," Xiang said, pulling out his knife and about to plunge it into Yao's heart.

Ivan shot Xiang twice in the side, making him drop the knife. Yao caught the knife, and drove it into Xiang's chest. Then he jammed his pistol into his mouth.

"This is for Hong Kong, fucker," Yao pulled the trigger, blowing Xiang's brains out. Then he pushed the body into the incoming explosion before jumping out with Ivan and parachuting down.

_Strange,_ he thought, _the farther away I'm getting from the explosion the louder it seems to be getting. And why is it I'm descending so fast…_

Yao looked calmly at the fast approaching ground.

_Am I going to die? Piece of junk parachute,_ he thought just as he made contact with the street below.

* * *

><p>Yao woke up with a gasp, panting. He quickly reached for his pistol under his pillow and aimed it around the room, checking for enemies. Instead, he only found Hong sitting on his own bed watching TV.<p>

"Yo," Hong said, flashing the peace sign.

"H-hey," Yao stammered and lowered his pistol.

_Just a nightmare, good. I parachuted safely that day, I remember. I'm such a fool for forgetting._

"I'll go make breakfast," Hong said, getting off the bed.

"Yeah, thanks," Yao said.

_Xiang or not, I'll find out all I need to know and kill him, _Yao thought with a fire in his eyes.


End file.
